Yelp Doubles Down on Reports of Racism at Restaurants

Yelp is issuing clear warnings when reports of restaurants displaying racist behavior pop up on the website. The platform for crowd-sourced reviews announced last week it has a new consumer alert for that purpose. When there’s a report of an incident involving racism, Yelp defaults to a general public attention…

Encina Opens Friday in Oak Cliff

The space that was once home to Bolsa is alive again, this time through the lens of Encina. Chef Matt Balke and co-owner Corey McCombs took inspiration from the former’s hometown of Uvalde for the restaurant. “Encina” is Spanish for “holm oak,” which is also the original name of Uvalde…

Meet the Chef Behind Dallas ISD’s Meals

The 2020-21 school year looks different from anything we could’ve ever imagined, but several people are working behind the scenes to ensure the wellbeing of students. In Dallas ISD, chef Juanita Mejia has the role of bringing nutritious food to them. As a food specialist in the district, Mejia’s duties…

Cafe Momentum Partners with Another Nonprofit to Expand its Reach

Café Momentum is expanding its efforts to help young people who have been caught up in the criminal justice system. The Dallas-based nonprofit/restaurant is partnering with Stand Together Foundation to launch Momentum Advisory Co. Stand Together has invested $1.9 million to support the effort, which will build programs to expand…

Are Ghost Kitchens Part of Our Dining Future?

If you’re one for ordering in, you may have noticed a new addition to on-demand apps in early January: Meatball Kitchen. You may have even tried its vegan Impossible meatball sub with polenta fries and arancini mozzarella tots. Or perhaps, more recently, you noticed the addition of Sweet Basil Thai…

Dallas City Council Members Help Local Restaurants with PPE

Through an initiative with the city of Dallas and the CARES Act, Dallas City Council members have been providing some local restaurants with personal protective equipment.  “I love our local restaurants,” District 6 City Council member Omar Narvaez says. “But even seven months into the COVID-19 pandemic, some people still…

Good to Go: Lockhart Smokehouse Makes for a Satisfying Picnic

Good to Go is a column in which our food writers explore Dallas’ restaurant scene through takeout orders, delivery boxes and reheated leftovers. As critic Brian Reinhart reminded us last week, now is the perfect time to make your takeout meal a picnic, and a perfect choice for that is…

Dallas Restaurants to Visit on National Taco Day

During the pandemic, we’re all trying to find ways to celebrate, and the upcoming National Taco Day is just another reason. There are countless national food holidays, but considering many of us like to eat tacos every day, we’ll go ahead and use this Oct. 4 “holiday” as an excuse…

Franchesca Nor’s Dive: The Journey from the Coastline

In a time when restaurants are pivoting, closing and opening, Dive Coastal Cuisine is getting by, marking 10 years of business. Originally from Southern California, Dive owner Franchesca Nor has traveled from Miami to Europe, exploring every nook and cranny of the culinary and hospitality industry, interning with chefs, running…

7 Dallas Takeout Meals That Make Perfect Picnics

At last: It’s picnic weather again. I’ve been reacquainting myself with the joy of a good picnic this year since it gets me out of the house without encountering crowds, putting waitstaff at risk or getting grumpy about people wearing their masks incorrectly. Picnics have a way of making a…

Online Pie Auction Brings Together Top Chefs for Scholarships

Some of Dallas’ best chefs are focusing on pie this month. The FestEvents Foundation is putting together the Piehole Project, an online pie auction to support its culinary and hospitality scholarship program, Chefs of Tomorrow. With 25 chefs from North Texas participating, expect more than your regular flavors. While you…